Process of sterilization of liquids.



'0. W. VOLN'EY, DEGD.

- S. L. G. VOLNEY, EXBGUTRIX. moosss OF STBRILIZATION OP LIQUIDS.

APPLICATION FILED 110 7.14, 190s.

Patented J an. 14, 1913.

UNITED simples PAEEN OFFICE.

CARL WALTER VOLNEY, 0F KEYPORT, NEW JERSEY; SARAH LJG. VOLNEY EXECUTBIX'I OF CARL WALTER VOLNEY, DECEASED.

PROCESS OF STERILIZATION or LIQUIDS.

Application filed November 14, 1908. Serial No. 462,612.

To all cola-omit may concern: i

Be it known that I, CARL V. VoLNny,

a citizen'zeof the United States, residing 111*,

Keyport', in the county of Monmouth and State of New Jersey, haveinvented certainnew and.usefullmprovements in Processes of Sterilizationof Liquids, of which the following is a specification.

;The object of the present invention is to provide a process for'theeffective and complete sterilization of liquids bythe treatment of theliquid with a gas and subsequently washing out the gas from the treatedliquid with another gas;

This invention isparticularly applicable to the sterilization ofmilk bythe use of a rel atively small quantity of a germicide substance, andwhich process will also effectively and completely destroy not only allof the infusorial and bacterious or germ-like matters of the treatedmilk but will also completely remove from the substance the germicideemployed and at the same time will not injure or'aflectin any manner thetreated milk. e

Although this invention maybe used in the sterilization and treatment ofvarious liquids yet its application to the sterilization of milk will bedescribed in detailf It is well known that infusorial organisms in milkare destroyed by heating and boiling, but it has also been found thateffective sterilization requires a high ,degree of heat sustained for aconsiderablelength of time and under sucht-reatment denaturation and.

coagulation of protein matter, evaporation of volatile constituents andother undesirable changes are produced in 'the mi'lk so thatsterilization and -c ili sinit'ection atlower temperatures has alwaysbeen held desirable: And it is also well known that by the applicationof antiseptic germ destroythe sterilizing or disinfecting matter 3 remains in the milk imparting to the latter injurious or disagreeablequalities. From these conslderations it follows that the application ofgermicide material to milk depends=upon the non-injurious character otthe germicides ifthere is any trace of these left in the milk aftersterilizing, and on the condition of being completely removed from thesame after sterilizati0n It is consethat the germicide or disinfectingmatter for the milk should be of a gaseous or sufliciently volatilecharacter, so that it can be removed readily after sterilization, andthat it should not have anydelete'rious effect on the milk duringitsreaction 'on the infusorial organisms.

Although the hereinbefore mentioned infnsorial matter consists usuallyof anE-infinite number of individuals, it would form, if all theseindividuals were collectedf-but an infinitely smallportion of themasstand it follows thata correspondi-n 1y small quantity of, germicidenecessary 'or 'its destruction would be likewise required. It is,howdestroying matter. with which organic materia-l is usually treated,-is greatly in excess at present in use, the destroying medium could notbe brought in thorough contact therewith throughout the proportionatelylarge volume of matterto be sterilized.

Itis. the pur ose of my invention to overcome these di culties; toreduce the quantity ofthe germ-destroying matter, on a rational'basis,and to render it effective at the same time; and finally, after hayingef- 'fecft'ed the desired sterilization, to remove 'all -traces ofthe-disinfecting mattertrom the milk. To that end, I first diffuse acomparatively very small mass of carbon monoxid in a proportionally verylarge quantity or volume of-a suitable indifferent gas.

the milk with this volume of prepared air, .causing'itto pass throughthe llqlllCl as and destroy all the noxious infusorial matter. By thesemeans, the intended contact ever, known that [the quantities of germofgermicideis usedbecause, by the methods "preferably atmospheric air,'an' d 'then treat many times as appears necessary to ailect quentlyindicated by these consideration s,

v and effect is secured, although the necessary quantity only, for thedestruction-of the infusorial organisms, is .used. And after finishingthe sterilization by this process I remove the comparatively smallquantity of the sterilizing medium left therein from the milk by passinga suitable gas, such as sterilized air through the'same at the propertemperature, causing it to be diifused with the passing air and carriedoff. In this process of removing the carbon monoxid, the same volume ofsterilized aircan be used over'again, passing and repassing the liquid.

In the accompanying drawing is illustrated diagrammatically one form ofapparatus by which the invention may be put in practice.

One form of apparatus for carrying out my present invention is shown inthe drawing, in which the milk or other liquid to be treated is placedin a suitable vessel F. The atmospheric air that is used, is preferablyfirst passed through a tank A having shelves a containing a large amountof cotton, that serves to filter the air and also remove the germstherefrom. To sterilize this air, it is next passed through a tank B,that may be formed of lead andcontaining sulfuric acid; the air passingbetween the tanks through a pipe I). The treated air passes by pipe (Zinto a tank C, in which it is mixed with carbon monoxid in a gaseousform. The carbon 'mo-noxid may be placed in a suit-able vessel I-I'connecting with the tank C by pipe 0. Or the germicide may be placed inasmaller tank E connected with the mix- Valve 10.

ing tank C by a pipe 6. The treated gas in the tank C is forced into thetank F by suitable means, such as an air pump 'B, connected with thetank C'by a pipe 0 and with the tank F by pipe f. A valve 1 is placed onthe pipe Z) between the tanks A and B, and a valve 2 on the pipe (Zbetween the tanks B and C. A pipe it leads from the pipe d and connectswith the tank H controlled by valves 3 and 4. A pipe 70, leads from thetank H around to the top of the vessel F containing the substance to betreated, and contains a valve 5 adjacent the tank H, and a valve 11adjacent the tank F. An outlet pipe m leads from the tank F controlledby a valve 9. A valve 6' controls the pipe 0, and a valve 7 is placed inthe pipe is beyond a pipe '11 leading from the pipe 70 into the vesselE. A pipe 8 connects the lower part of the tank C with the pipe 70, andis controlled by a In the operation of the apparatus, the air in tank Ccan be replaced by sterilized air, before the milk tobe treated isplaced in the vessel F, by closing valves, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11, andopening the valves 1, 2, and 9. Upon starting the pump the air will bedrawn out of tank C and forced through the tank F escaping through thepipe m. This will cause the atmospheric air to be drawn in through thevessel A,'by which it will be filtered, and also drawn through thevessel '13 whereby it will be'sterilized, which so treated air willremain in the vessel C when the pump is stopped. Thereupon the valves,

1, 2, 3, 8, 9 and 10 are closed, the valves 11,

7, 6, 5 and 4 are opened. \Vhen the pump is now started, the air from Cwill be forced into the tank F and through the milk therein, and willpass out of the same into the pipe is. The valves 11, 7, 5 and 4 beingopen, the air or gas will be forced back into the tank H and thence downthrough pipe 0, into the tank C again, causing the carbon monoXid gas inH to pass through the tank C-into the tank F where it is brought intointimate contact with the milk contained therein. If desired this actionof the tank can be assisted by means of an agitator g,

and this process will be further facilitated by means of a jacket 10that may have a circulation of warm water therein. By maintaining theaction of the pump, a very small quantity of the carbon monoxid gas thatwas placed in the vessel H, will be repeatedly caused to pass throughthe substance in the tank F, so that the milk therein is repeatedly andcontinuously subjected to the action of the same small quantity of thecarbon In such case the valves 4 and 5 are closed and the valve 8 isopened. This will cause the gas driven back through the pipe h, to passdown into the tank E by pipe 12, emerging at the bottom of this tank.The gas passes up through the liquid in the tank E and finds exitthrough the pipe 0 leading from the top of this tank. \Vhen 'this stepof the process has been carried on for a sufiicient length of time, thevalves 3, 6, 7, 8, 1.0

and 11 are closed, while valves 1, 2, and 9 are opened. This will causethe gas in the, tank C, to be passed through the tank F and find exitthrough the pipe m, and therefore fresh quantities of air will be drawnin through tanks A, and B, replacing thegermicide treated gas in C withfresh quantities of filtered and sterilized atmospheric air, that willbe passed through the milk in the tank F. This latter process will serveto mechanically drive out the gaseous matter contained in the milk inthe tank F and therefore effectually remove all of the carbon monoxidcontained in the material treated. But this latter'step of the processmay be modified, in that as soon as the filtered and sterilizedair'findsexit through the pipe m, the valves 2 and 9, are closed whilethe valves 11 and 10 are opened. This will cause the gas to passin thetank C through the tank F and back through the pipes 70 and .9 intothetank C. By this means a comparatively small quantity of the filteredand sterilized gas can be repeatedly caused to pass or circulate throughthe milk in the tank 'F, and the carbon monoxid will be des'troyed ortreated whereby its deleterious qualities are removed, andgalso wherebyit, may be more easily extracted from the' treated milk in thesubsequent operationfof.

. driving the gas from the tank C through the tank- F and out throughthe exit. pipe From this it will be. observed that the ma.- terial in"the tank F is first treated with a gas such as atm'o'spheric airimpregnated tact with'the fibrogene proteids produced small quantity ofwith carbon .monoxid, which impregnated gas: is caused to; continuouslycirculate through the tank a desired number of times.

Next, the milk is treated-, with another gassuch as sterilized and:filteredair, that is caused to pass through the ltank'; or else a whichInayfbe e. through the milk in'the tankg of airor'other and completelyremoved from-the milk or other substance treatedg. f

I have discovered that carbon monoxidreacts on some of the proteids'fofbacterial protoplasm 5 by displacing. and removing therefromoxygen andcombining with such proteids. This reactionis especiallynoticek ablewhen the carbon protoxid comes inconfrom albuminous vmatter underbacterial agencies, such as globin'and syntonin, and

thereby destroying. the bacteria. Atthe same time carbon monoxid doesnot aifect the constituents of milk such as casein, butmatter I ter fat,milk sugar'or the albuminous of milk, reacting only on the fibrog'enemat ter created under the influence of living bacteria..'In the removalof the protoxid or monoxid from the milk, by passing filtered andsterilized air through it as described hereinbefore, theair takes updifl'usion any free monoxid gas as well as carbon dioxid gas, which maybe formed by oxidation of the monoxid, and removes these from the mattertreated as described, by the cir-- culation of the air through the milkin the last stage of the process. Finally to the above indicatedadvantages of the described process has to be added, that the processavoids all waste of material certain predetermined quantity of thegermicide,

ed and any deleterious effect prevented.

' l'caused to processi isl'driving by the use of a this being appliedrecurrently until the desired eifect is produced, and by its gco'mpleteconfinement in the apparatus, con- ;;tact" with the operators iscompletely avoid- 1. The process which consists in subjecting a liquidto the action of asterilizinggas and then expelling such sterilizing gasfrom theliquid with another gas. I

2. The process which. consists in sterilizing a liquid with a gas andthen passing sterilized air through such liquid. 3. The process whichconsists in subjecting a'liquid to the action of a germicideand thenwashin the germicide from the liquidwith a sterllized gas. 4?. Theprocess which consists in subjectin}; milk; to the action of aermicideand then expelling the germici'de; rom the milk.

5. The process of treating milk which consists in passing through themilk a gas destructive of living impurities in the milk and; thenexpelling the'gas from the milk with another gas 1 6. The process oftreating milk which consists in passing through the milk a gas having anavidity for some chemical com- .-.ponent of living impurities. of milk,thenpassing another gas through the milk.-theregas that has beenfiltered 'and sterilized b whereby" the carbon' monoxidis effectually y.removing the resultant of the combination of the first gasand'impurities.

7'. .The process of treating .milk which consists in subj ectin'gthemilk to, the action of; a germicide forv removing from the milk the-fiinfusorial and 'bacterious; .or germ-like matters, and'theiii completelyremoving from the treated milk the 'germicide.

8. The processor sterilizingmilk, consist- 111% intakingacertainjgnantity 0f an indi erent gas containing-awry smallquantity of carbon mon ative to the quantity of theinilk forcing saidgase's th'r contact with thej'e'n' thereupon -ren'i vi eated-T111 1 band into intimate sof the milk, and "aid gases from the ing-a suitablegas erilizing milk, consistrtainffluantity 'of an inrelative to thequantreated, repeatedly v ses through and into in- ,o act. w ha theentire mass of the lnilkand thereupon removing the said gases from themilk by assing-filtered and sterilized air through t 'e same.

treated, repeatedly "very small quan- 10. The process of-jsteriiizin-miik, con-.

filteredfand steri small quantity of, carbon monoxid .relative sistingin takingwa certain quantity of a to the quantity of'the milk treated,and .re-

yforcingsuch germicide'laden air pe'atedl through and into intimatecontact with the entire mass of the milk.'

11. The'process of sterilizing milk, consisting in taking a certainquantity of a 'zed air containing a very small quantity of carbonmonoxid relative same. to the quantity of the milk to be treated re- Apeatedly forcing such germicide laden air CARL WALTER VOLNEY' 5 throughand into intimate contact with the Witnesses:

entire mass of the milk, and thereupon re-, GEORGE W. BROWN, moving saidgases from the milk by pass- HATTIE P. SIMMONS.

/ filtered and sterilized air containing a very ing filtered andsterilized air through the

